Sunday, November 6, 2016

Week 36

With Wings of Eagles

11/6/2016

The hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllsssssssssss are alive with the sound of chriiiiiiiiiiiistmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasss aaaahhhh ah ah ahhhhhhhhhh.... I have to say this week really did go by fast. Something I’ve realized is the more homesick I am the harder I work, so I guess that in and of itself is a blessing and a curse? Not really sure, anyways onto the highlights of the week. This week could be titled my 'what-the-freak-is-wrong-with-you-where-is-your-brain' week but that is also a good title for an autobiography. I have realized that while I like to think of myself as a happy person the whole ‘not talking’ thing has made people think the opposite of me. So I have been trying to put forth an effort to

· Learn Tagalog jokes

· Speak more

· Smile more than I already think I am

I asked my companion if she thought I was a happy person and she said (bless her she is so honest) that SHE thought I was a nice and happy person however, that most of the ward here thought I was standoffish. She did admit that some of the members, the ones we worked with often, and most of our investigators also think I am a happy person. So that softened the blow. Haha but as of now I am trying my best to be a better person and become who God needs me to be. I have a feeling that by the time I get home I'm going to be a very talkative person, hopefully that will be a good thing. However I have also been feeling very homesick, and so I prayed at the beginning of my personal study this week to help me fully commit myself to the work and to not feel so homesick… and then I read about in the Liahona about gospel centered dating and the importance of an education. So... That was fun. But at least I know God has a sense of humor!

Funny story: So, as I'm trying to apply the whole ‘be a fun missionary’ thing I was teaching a lesson about recognizing the spirit. So I said (in Tagalog of course) ‘the spirit doesn’t come at us like HALLELUJA but more like gentle guidance and feelings of love and comfort.’ However I didn’t get to finish my sentence because when I said/ sang hallelujah I surprised the investigator so bad she choked on spit and had a coughing fit. She had to go and drink a full glass of water to help her stop coughing. That same day I offered a prayer for a sister we found and I asked that her whole family would continue in safety and health and some other things I can’t really remember and at the end of the prayer she was crying. So much for being a fun missionary... I was so embarrassed about the couching fit thing that I was very willing to do some earth bending and burry myself under a rock. But I guess it’s something that she will never forget. The next time we met with her we asked how she was feeling about the lesson and she laughed and said she felt the ‘gentle guidance’ of the spirit. So at least I made an impression.

Another fun thing this week was we held a FHE (family home evening, it’s when the family gathers and one of the family members teaches a lesson, then there are games and sometimes treats.) at a Recent Convert’s house (or RC) and we taught about keeping things in perspective. So the Domingo’s live waaaaay out in the middle of nowhere so there is very little light pollution so the sky is almost blue with the sheer amount of stars. So we walked a bit to get away from the light of their house and then read D&C 78:17- 18 and talked about how God, our Father and the creator of the world, has blessings He is just dying to give to us if we follow His Son. So then we looked up to the sky and talked about how we cannot even comprehend the majesty of these blessings. Then I shined my flashlight in their faces. [My flashlight is hecka strong, I can point out stars and you can see the beam of light all the way up there] They were all ‘oi, turn that thing off!” and so I asked them, as I shined the flashlight in their face, if they could still see the stars. Hannah, the oldest, said ‘I can’t see anything anymore, why can’t I see?’ so we talked about how worldly things can get in the way of us seeing our true potential. If we focus on the things down here on earth, we can’t see the stars so well. They are still there, waiting for us but we just can’t see them. It was a really awesome lesson.

At the FHE were two of our progressing investigators Mery Jane and Jennifer. MJ is in Moroni 7 right now and her older sister is in Ether. We hope they will be baptized on the 26th and they are incredibly dedicated the gospel, but are both of fragile health so sometimes it’s hard for them to get to church. After the lesson while we were playing games MJ asked “Ading, once I finish the Book of Mormon can I start over?” [ading means older sister, its pronounced adding.] And you can guess I was just tickled pink to talk about the hidden treasures that await her as she continues to read and study from the Book of Mormon.

I love being out here, and I love teaching and serving these people. I’m not here to preach, I'm here to serve and help them receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. So although there are rough times and homesick times I know I can trust in the Lord and get through anything. (1 Nephi 11:17)